Inflatable weather shield

ABSTRACT

An inflatable weather shield comprising a clear, water-proof, flexible plastic material formed to a dome shape. A flexible, inflatable rib construction affixes to the plastic material and intercommunicates to provide a single, continuous air passage. A nozzle extends from a portion of the air passage to permit inflation of the inflatable ribs either by simply blowing air into the nozzle or by employing mechanical air pumping means. The invention also includes the modification of sealing an inner dome shaped shield to an outer dome shaped shield in a predetermined pattern to form a continuous, inflatable air passage therebetween.

Morris Apr. 9, 1974 1 INFLATABLE WEATHER SHIELD [76] Inventor: George Douglas Morris, 7 Sears Rd.,

Wayland, Mass. 01778 22 Filed: Feb. 3, 1972 211 App]. No.:'223,231

[52 us. c1. 135/20 B, 135/35 51 Int. Cl A451) 19/02 58 Field of'search 135/20 R, 20 B. 25. 33.

[56] References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 2,766,457 10/1956 Wielandt 135/20 R 2,434,526 1/1948 Thornton 135/20 R 2,502,984 4/1950 Parmenter.... 135/33 R X 1,411,560 4/1922 Beaty 135/20 B 2,551,297 5/1951 Sherman... 135/33 R 1,713,983 5/1929 Sincere 135/33 R 3,032,047 5/1962 Wendorf... 135/35 V 3,361,145 1/1968 Jones 135/20 B FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 62,146 9/1967 Germany 135/20 B Primary Examiner-J. Karl Bell Attorney, Agent, or Firml(arl L. Spivak ABSTRACT An inflatable weather shield comprising a clear, waternozzle or by employing mechanical air pumping means. The invention also includes the modification of sealing an inner dome shaped shield to an outer dome shaped shield in a predetermined pattern to form a continuous, inflatable air passage therebetween.

5 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures l6 IO PATENTEDAPR 9 I974 SHEET 1 OF 2 PEG.

FIG;

PATENTEU APR 9 I974 saw a or 2 a 1 .1 INFLATABLE WEATHER SHIELD BACKGROUND or INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of rain protecting devices, and more particularly, is directed to a novel inflatable weather shield construe tion. 1

Prior workers in the fieldhave been quite active in developing protective devices from the effects of rain, and most often, the prior art developments have taken the form of umbrellas which are more or less'conventional in configuration and construction.

All umbrellas developed to date of which I am aware employ a fabric or plastic covering which is generally impervious to the passage of moisture or rain. The covering is generally flexible in nature and is usually movable from a closed, folded position to an open, shielding position. In order to open or close prior art umbrellas, a rib construction of some complexity has been developed. Most umbrellas which-have heretofore been designed,'employ a central combination handle and stem from which a plurality of ribs radially and pivotally project and include an operating slide which has longitudinal movement along the central stem. Movement of the slide relative to the stern serves to open and close the ribs and the rib affixed covering material.

More recently, workers in the field have developed newer models of umbrellas which are quite ingenious in the arrangement and configuration of the rigid rib and stem constructiomwherein umbrellas can now be rendered foldable into relatively minute sized packages when not'in use. These folding umbrellas greatly improve over prior art models from the standpoint of convenience in carrying, lightness in weight and accessability. However, even these newer folding umbrellas employ rigid parts which are generally fabricated of metal to open and close the flexible covering for rainprotection purposes. Such umbrellas have a tendency to be more expensive in manufacture and accordingly are morecostly to the ultimate user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The presentinvention relates generally to the field of weather protection devices, and more particularly, is directed to av novel foldable, completely flexible weather shield which employs no metallic ribs whatsoever, no metallic'parts and completely eliminates the need for a central stem. 1

The invention comprises a covering of thin, flexible,

plastic materialwhich may-be arranged in panels which are joined one to the other in a completely waterproof and moisture proof manner. Preferably, one or more of the panels should be fabricated of clear, translucent plastic material to permit ready visability therethrough.

' The device employs a continuous, inflatable, thin rib construction which interposes between adjacent panels and which stiffens the open bottom of the device when ameter so that a minimum amount of air will be required for umbrella inflation purposes.

In a modified-type of construction, inner'and outer clear, plastic shells have been developed which are heat sealed or otherwise adhered together in a predetermined pattern to form a continuous, elongate air passage for inflation purposes. 7

Various embodiments of the invention have been developed wherein nozzles of conventional configuration have been employed for umbrella inflation purposes. In one embodiment, the nozzle and the inflatable ribs are designed for low pressure application so that the device may be readily inflated by the user simply by blowing air into the nozzle for rib inflation purposes. In another embodiment, the nozzle can be designed for use with various types of mechanical air inflation devices such as hand pumps of the type that arecommonly employed to inflate bicycle tires, footballs and the like. In another embodiment of the present invention, a self contained air pump is utilized and serves the dual purpose of pumping air into the inflatable rib construction and also as a convenient handle for carrying the device.

If desired, a handle or shoulder strap may be employed to facilitate using the device when inflated. Also, in those instances where prolonged periods of use are contemplated, such as may be encountered when employing the device as a rain shield for an outdoor sporting event such as a football game, it may be necessary to provide ventilation in the flexible skin portion of the umbrella to prevent fogging or similar phenomena which might interfere with normal vision through the clear plastic panel.

It is contemplated that the entire device will be fabricated of extremely low cost materials which can be easily and inexpensively manufactured by employing presently available equipment. Clear plastic sheet materials which may be readily formed and manufactured at relatively low cost, such as polyethylene plastic, polypropylene plastic sheet orpolyvinyl film could be utilized for the plastic panel construction. Low cost tubing such as polyethelene or flexible polyvinyl chloride tubing of low cost construction could, be employed for the inflatable rib portion of the device. In this manner, by keeping all of the components at the absolute minimum material and fabrication cost, it is contemplated that the inflatable umbrella could be inexpensively manufactured to render it suitable for use as a single service item, such as may be sold during a rain storm, and then discarded as soon as the weather had cleared.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved inflatable umbrella of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novelinflatable umbrella which comprises a thin,

flexible, plastic skin in combination with a foldable, inflatable, rib construction.

. It is another object of present invention to provide a which are heat sealed together in a manner to provide a continuous air passage therebetween.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel inflatable umbrella construction having a moisture resistant shell, inflatable means integrally fabricated with the shell and ventilating means provided in portions of the shell.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel inflatable weather shield which employs a plurality of clear, flexible plastic panels in juxtaposed relationship and a continuous, inflatable rib which positions between adjacent panels for panel opening purposes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel inflatable weather shield including a clear, flexible plastic skin and a flexible inflatable rib affixed to portions of the skin and provided with means to inject air into the rib for umbrella opening purposes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel inflatable weather shield that is inexpensive in manufacture, rugged in construction and trouble free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an inflatable weather shield in use and fabricated in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1A is an enlarged, detailed view of the handle of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a modified inflatable weather shield.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partial, cross-sectional view taken along Line 3-3 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, detailed view of a nozzle in the inflating position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 and showing a modified handle and pump combination.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of the handle and pump connection of FIG. 5. 4

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a modified inflatable weather shield construction.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along Line 8-8 of FIG. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 9 is an exploded, perspective view of a modified inflatable weather shield construction.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the weather shield of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in thedrawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. I, an inflatable umbrella which is generally designated 10 and which includes a plurality of panels 12. The panels 12 are preferably fabricated of thin, flexible, clear, plastic sheet such as polyvinyl film, or polypropylene film which are inexpensively formed and which are suitable for fabrication by heat sealing or by adhesives in well known manner. The panels 12 may be of continuous preformed plastic material or may be heat sealed or otherwise joined at the junctions 14 between adjacent panels 12 in well known manner to provide a complete, waterproof, flexible construction. A continuous, flexible, inflatable rib 16 is heat sealed or otherwise affixed to the panels 12 in permanent flexible connections in a manner to permit both the panels 12 and the continuous rib 16 to be initially folded (not shown) to a relatively small package and then to be inflated as illustrated in FIG. 1 for expanding into the rain shielding position when in use. The continuous rib 16 may be fabricated of a suitable, flexible, plastic tubing such as polyvinyl chloride flexible plastic or polyethelene flexible plastic or other flexible tubing suitable for the purpose.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the continuous inflatable rib 16 includes a plurality of generally vertically disposed rib segments 18 which interconnect at the apex 20 to provide a continuous air passage 20 therethrough for umbrella opening purposes. The vertically disposed rib segments 18 all terminate downwardly in a generally horizontally disposed rib stiffening segment 22 which defines the bottom of the inflatable umbrella 10. Each vertical segment 18 connects to the horizontal stiffening segment 22 in a junction 24 which is leak proof and which permits the passage of air between the vertical and horizontal rib segments 18, 22. If desired, a handle 26 may be heat sealed or otherwise connected to one of the vertical rib segments 18 to permit the inflatable umbrella 10 to be readily positioned and held in a convenient location by the user 28. See FIG. 1A.

It is contemplated that the panels 12 can be individually formed and then heat sealed or otherwise connected to adjacent panels at the junctions 14 to provide a unitary, moisture-proof construction. In accordance with principles well known in the art, the panels 12 may be cut or fabricated to any desired configuration to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance. In the embodiment illustrated, a plurality of six panels formed to a hexagonal cross-sectional configuration are illustrated. It will be appreciated however, that any desired configuration may be employed as long as the panels are interconnected in a moisture resistant manner. Preferably, the vertically disposed rib segments 18 inwardly join the panels 12 at the common junctions l4 therebetween and may be heat sealed or otherwise secured in place in well known manner. The panels 12 terminate upwardly at the apex 20 and downwardly at the horizontally disposed rib stiffening segment 22. All

of the vertically disposed rib segments 18 and the horizontally disposed rib stiffening segments 22, interiorly communicate to readily permit the passage of air therethrough. Thus, by inflating the rib 16 through a single nozzle which is conveniently located, for example, at r the apex 20, all of the rib segments 18, 22 are simultaneously pressurized for umbrella opening purposes. Thus, by fabricating all of the panels 127and rib segments 18, 22 of flexible, plastic materials, the inflatable umbrella may be easily folded into a neat, compact package when not in use. When it is desired to use the umbrella 10, air, or other gas should be forced into the continuous inflatable rib 16 to thereby cause the inflatable umbrella 10 to open to the usable position as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. After use it is contemplated that air can be ejected from the inflatable rib 16 and the device can be re-folded if desired until further use is necessary.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, an inflatable umbrella 10' is illustrated which may be used when sitting or standing in the rain over an extended period of time, such as when viewing an outside sporting event such as a football game, in inclement weather. In this embodiment, a pair of shoulder engaging straps 30, 32

extend between diametrically opposed sections 34, 36

of the horizontally disposed rib stiffening segment 22 to form a pair of spaced loops 38, 40 to easily rest upon the shoulders of the user. In this manner, the inflatable umbrella 10' will rest in place without any conscious effort on the part of a user 28. The straps 30, 32 can be made adjustable in conventional manner to assure clearance of the umbrella apex over the head of the user. Of course, one or more of the panels 12 should be fabricated of clear plastic to permit viewing therethrough. Such clear plastic materials are well known in thevart and are presently in use in connection with conventional, rigid frame type of umbrellas. In order to prevent fogging and to provide ventilation into the interior 42 of the umbrella 10', one or more ventilating openings 44 can be provided near the top of one or more panels 12 to'permit air to circulate within the interior 42. A weather resistant flap 46 is heat sealed or otherwise affixed to panel 12 in a weather tight junction 48 to prevent rain or other moisture from entering the interior 42 of the inflatable umbrella 10' through the ventilating openings 44. The bottom of 50 of the flap 46 is not sealed to the panel 12 to thereby permit and facilitate ventilation and circulation of air. In this embodiment, inasmuch as the shoulder engaging straps 30, 32 serve to position the inflatable umbrella 10, an

, additional handle 26 need not be employed and may be entirely omitted if so desired. Otherwise, the construction of FIG. 2 is exactly the same as FIG. 1.

' Referring now to FlG.-4, I show one method of inflat-' ing the continuous inflatable rib 16 by providing a nozf zle 52 of flexible construction which communicates with the interior of the inflatable rib 16. Preferably, the

nozzle, 52, is of conventional design suitable for inflating by simply blowing air therethrough to inflate the rib segments 18, 22 using relatively low pressure such as may be simply applied by the mouth of the user. After umbrella 10, the nozzle 52 should be pulled to the inflate position as illustrated and air should be introduced into the rib segments 18, 22 to open the umbrella as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. After inflation, the nozzle 52 should be closed in any well known manner until it is desired to deflate and refold the umbrella 10, 10'. Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, I show another embodiment of an inflatable umbrella 10" which is similarly constructed to the inflatable umbrellas 10, 10. The modified umbrella l0" employs a plurality of clear plastic panels 12 and a continuous inflatable rib 16 which includes the vertically disposed rib segments 18 and the bottom, horizontally disposed rib stiffening segment 22. In the manner hereinbefore set forth, the segments 18, 22 interiorly communicate so that air applied anywhere within the continuous inflatable rib 16 will simultaneously inflate the segments 18, 22. In this embodiment, a modif ed handle 54 communicates with the interior of the segments 18, 22 and preferably includes a one way valve 56 of conventional construction and suitable for use with a mechanical air pressurizing device such as an air pump 60. The one way valve system 56 preferably terminates in a conventional threaded connection 58 to threadedly receive an air pump 60 which is conventionally provided with a cylinder 62 and piston 64 for air pressurizing purposes. It

is contemplated that a small air pump 60 may be provided in the package to threadedly engage the valve 56 at the threaded connection 58 for umbrella inflating purposes.

After inflating to the inflatable position as illustrated in FIG. 5, the air pump 60 itself may be employed as the handle 54 so that the user 28 can position the umbrella 10" in any desired location when in use. Optionally, a handle 26 (see FIG. 1) or shoulder straps 30, 32 (see FIG. 2) could be employed in lieu of the modified handle 54. In this manner, the inflatable umbrella 10" could be fabricated with a one way valve 56 suitable for the mechanical application of air in well known manner. It is contemplated in this embodiment that the ribs 18, 22 could be fabricated of suitable, flexible, plastic materials to withstand increased pressure, such as could be imposed by mechanical air pumping devices, so that a stronger inflatable umbrella construction could thereby be provided.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, a modified construction for an umbrella 66 is illustrated wherein a continuous, moisture resistant shield 68 is fabricated to generally truncated conical configuration of a suitable clear, flexible plastic sheet such as polyvinyl filmJA continuous inflatable rib 70 interiorly affixes to the shield 68 in well known manner, such as by heat sealing, and is fabricated of hollow, elongated, tubular configuration from a flexible, easily formed, plastic tubing such as polyethelene or polyvinyl chloride tubing of suitable dimensions for the use. In this embodiment, the continuous rib 70 undulates about the interior periphery of the shield 68 for shield strengthening and positioning purposes. The moisture resistant shield 68 terminates downwardly in a strengthening rib 72 which is constructed to define the bottom periphery of the modified inflatable umbrella 66. One or more communicating ribs 74 interconnect the strengthening rib 72 with the continuous inflatable rib 70 so that pressurization of one rib 72 or 70 will simultaneously inflate the other for umbrella inflation purposes.

A nozzle (not shown) similar to the nozzle 52 or one way valve (not shown) similar to the one way valve 56 may be connected to a rib 70,72,74 in the manner hereinbefore illustrated for rib pressurizing purposes to inflate the inflatable umbrella 66. If desired, a plurality of ventilating openings 76 can be provided at the top 78 of the moisture resistant shield 68 for air circulation purposes. In this construction, it has been found desirable to-employ a stiffening plate 80 which preferably is fabricated of polyethelene plastic material which is heat sealed or otherwise affixed to the moisture resistant shield 68. The flexible polyethelene cover 82 overflts the stiffening plate 80 to prevent rain or other moisture from entering the ventilating openings 76. The stiffening plate and flexible cover may be readily interconnected in any well known manner such as by heat sealing or by mechanical fastenings such as a rivet. It will be appreciated that the continuous inflatable rib 70 should be positioned about the interior periphery as a shield 68 in a continuous manner and in suitable location to open the umbrella 66 to the desired configuration when inflated.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-15, I show a modified form of inflatable weather shield construction which employs generally an interior, dome-shaped, clear, plastic, weather resistant shield 86 and an exterior, domeshaped, clear, plastic, weather resistant shield 88 which are formed to the same configuration and of size to closely overfit. The shield 86 fits within the shield 88 and the shields are heat sealed or otherwise adhered together in conventional manner over substantially the entire area of contact to form an overall sealed junction 90.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the weather resistant shields 86, 88 are formed of a plurality of similar panels 92, 94 in a manner to provide a multi-sided, cross-sectional configuration. A hexagonal cross-sectional configuration is illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that more or fewer panels in side by side relationship may be employed and still be within the meaning and intent of this invention. A similar construction is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 wherein the respective interior and exterior shields 96, 98 are formed without seams to a generally round crosssectional configuration.

As best seen in FIGS. l0, l2 and 15, the interior and exterior shields 86, 88 and 96, 98 are heat sealed or otherwise joined in overall sealed junctions 90 which are resistive to the passage of air. By carefully sealing the shields 86, 88 and 96, 98 together in a predetermined pattern, an unsealed continuous air passage 100 can be defined between the areas 102 which have been sealed in overall engagement. The air passage must be continuous for inflation purposes and can be formed to any desired predetermined pattern, such as by providing a plurality of vertically disposed segments 104 and horizontally disposed segment I06. Preferably the horizontally disposed segment 106 defines the bottom periphery of the device and where inflated, serves to retain the shield in the desired configuration for rain shielding purposes.

If desired, ventilating openings 108 may be provided through the sealed areas 102 and these openings can be protected from the entrance of rain water in conventional manner by applying separate covers 110 as in FIGS. 10 and 13 or by punching or otherwise forming integral covers 112. An air nozzle 52 or a one way air valve 56 may be employed to inflate the air passage in the manner hereinbefore described for inflating the continuous rib 16.

I claim:

1. In an inflatable weather shield, which is supported by the hand or shoulder of the user, the combination of A. a flexible, moisture resistant shield having an outer periphery of umbrella shaped configuration,

1. said shield having a closed top, an open bottom,

an interior surface and an exterior surface,

2. said shield being openable from a closed position to an open position,

3. said shield defining an interior space communicating with and extending upwardly from the open bottom;

B. an inflatable frame associated with the shield and being affixed thereto,

1. said frame comprising ribs which communicate and receive air therein to move from a collapsed condition to an inflated condition,

2. said ribs urging the shield to the open position when pressurized to the said inflated condition,

3. said ribs all following the configuration of the umbrella shape of the shield,

4. said ribs including vertical rib segments and horizontal rib segments;

C. valve means communicating with the frame to introduce air into the ribs,

1. said valve means pressurizing the ribs to the inflated condition to urge the shield to the open position; and

D. holding means associated with the ribs to hold the shield when in the open position,

1. said holding means being associated with the ribs in a connection located at the outer periphery of the shield,

2. said holding means affixing to the ribs in a connection oriented in angular relation from the vertical,

3. said holding means being positioned entirely within the said interior space.

,2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the holding means is flexible.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the holding means comprise a strap and wherein the strap affixes to one of said vertical rib segments.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the holding means comprise a pair of user shoulder engaging straps, the said straps extending between diametrically opposed sections of the horizontal rib segments, said straps being entirely positioned within the interior space at all times when the weather shield is in use.

5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the holding means affix to the valve means within the interior space, the holding means contacting the hand of the user when the weather shield is in use.

l l i 4 

1. In an inflatable weather shield, which is supported by the hand or shoulder of the user, the combination of A. a flexible, moisture resistant shield having an outer periphery of umbrella shaped configuration,
 1. said shield having a closed top, an open bottom, an interior surface and an exterior surface,
 2. said shield being openable from a closed position to an open position,
 3. said shield defining an interior space communicating with and extending upwardly from the open bottom; B. an inflatable frame associated with the shield and being affixed thereto,
 1. said frame comprising ribs which communicate and receive air therein to move from a collapsed condition to an inflated condition,
 2. said ribs urging the shield to the open position when pressurized to the said inflated condition,
 3. said ribs all following the configuration of the umbrella shape of the shield,
 4. said ribs including vertical rib segments and horizontal rib segments; C. valve means communicating with the frame to introduce air into the ribs,
 1. said valve means pressurizing the ribs to the inflated condition to urge the shield to the open position; and D. holding means associated with the ribs to hold the shield when in the open position,
 1. said holding means being associated with the ribs in a connection located at the outer periphery of the shield,
 2. said holding means affixing to the ribs in a connection oriented in angular relation from the vertical,
 3. said holding means being positioned entirely within the said interior space.
 2. said shield being openable from a closed position to an open position,
 2. said ribs urging the shield to the open position when pressurized to the said inflated condition,
 2. said holding means affixing to the ribs in a connection oriented in angular relation from the vertical,
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the holding means is flexible.
 3. said holding means being positioned entirely within the said interior space.
 3. said ribs all following the configuration of the umbrella shape of the shield,
 3. said shield defining an interior space communicating with and extending upwardly from the open bottom; B. an inflatable frame associated with the shield and being affixed thereto,
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein the holding means comprise a strap and wherein the strap affixes to one of said vertical rib segments.
 4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the holding means comprise a pair of user shoulder engaging straps, the said straps extending between diametrically opposed sections of the horizontal rib segments, said straps being entirely positioned within the interior space at all times when the weather shield is in use.
 4. said ribs including vertical rib segments and horizontal rib segments; C. valve means communicating with the frame to introduce air into the ribs,
 5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the holding means affix to the valve means within the interior space, the holding means contacting the hand of the user when the weather shield is in use. 